I have these very small flies that hang around my cacti and was wondering if that's normal? I even had a spider setup home on my e. triglochidiatus as it probably noticed the little flies who I think are responsible for pollinating some rebutia flowers ...I am thinking of reasons for why my echinopsis cacti are not flowering or growing much..but it must be the perpetual Madrid heat because they were ok in spring
Oh and is it possible to age a cactus? I bought a matured echinopsis hybrid cutting (eyriesii+candicans) that was totally pot bound (99% roots and 1% grit) and its 6.8 inches tall but seller had no idea of age and simply said he has harvested the mother plant a lot since 2007
Thanks a million all..I am not posting much lately but I do visit often to read items
Last edited by MadridPeter on Tue Aug 04, 2015 9:39 pm, edited 2 times in total.
I'm not sure that you can determine the age of a cactus since it's not like counting the rings of a tree. There's always carbon dating. Someone else may have a better idea, but I don't believe that it is possible to find out how old a cactus is unless you've raised it yourself or someone else knows exactly how old it is.
Yeah I was thinking the same but then maybe you could make a rough guess by considering normal annual growth which could lead to 6.8 inches..like 1.5 inches growth a year equals 4,5 years old for example..and taking into account its hybrid mix and that it was raised in a greenhouse in Germany ..it's a long shot I suppose
You would also have to consider the level of light the cactus is growing in because the shape or height that a cactus grows can differ depending on how much light or lack thereof it gets.
I would think the only real way to know the age is if you can see where growth stopped and started each year. It would work best on columnar cacti. Some cacti you can tell, others not.
As for flies, they probably are no big deal unless you are talking about fungus gnats. If you have them it means you are keeping your soil too wet.
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Think they could be gnats..very few on my cacti but quite a few on a plant my wife has and sure enough the soil is peaty and damp..moved it so that the room is cacti only..I always water and then let the cacti dry out totally and never water more than once a week which is ok considering Madrid heat..I read the gnats can feed on roots ..but If population is very noticeable I will take action..maybe sticky yellow paper
Someone else may have a better idea, but I don't believe that it is possible to find out how old a cactus is unless you've raised it yourself or someone else knows exactly how old it is.